These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 36-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past day.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
JESSYE NORMAN, INTERNATIONAL OPERA STAR, DEAD AT 74
A statement released to The Associated Press on Monday said Norman died at 7:54 a.m. EDT from septic shock and multi-organ failure secondary to complications of a spinal cord injury she suffered in 2015. She died at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York, and was surrounded by loved ones. Norman was a trailblazing performer, and one of the rare black singers to attain worldwide stardom in the opera world, performing at such revered houses like La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera, and singing title roles in works like “Carmen,” ″Aida” and more. She sang the works of Wagner, but was not limited to opera or classical music, performing songs by Duke Ellington and others as well.
[SOURCE: apnews.com]
GOP SENATOR COMPARES TRUMP’S CONDUCT TO POLICE OFFICER WHO BEATS A SUSPECT: “SHOULD IT BE INVESTIGATED? YES. BUT YOU CAN’T IGNORE THE ALLEGED BANK ROBBERY EITHER.”
Republican senators scrambling to protect President Trump from a formal impeachment inquiry are attacking the credibility of the whistleblower who filed a complaint.GOP lawmakers are asserting the whistleblower did not have firsthand knowledge of the actions detailed in the complaint and question whether the person had a political agenda. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has had a reputation for protecting whistleblowers, said the one at the center of the Trump impeachment inquiry didn’t necessarily deserve protections. The remarks from Grassley, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). and other senators echo arguments coming from Trump, but stand in stark contrast to the testimony last week from acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, who said the whistleblower acted in good faith. But Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said reading the whistleblower’s complaint “makes me more suspicious about how all this happened.”
[SOURCE: thehill.com]
FOREVER 21 LATEST RETAILER TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY
Forever 21 Inc, the privately held company that helped popularize trendy and cheap clothing, has fallen out of favor with shoppers, in part due to other retailers like Sweden’ H&M and Spain’s Zara that churn out affordable styles similar to those recently seen on designer runways. Younger, more environmentally conscious shoppers are also choosing brands that ethically source garments instead of retailers that use cheap fabrics to make T-shirts that are snapped up for $5. Resale sites like thredUp.com, which calls itself the largest online thrift store, are also growing in popularity.
[SOURCE: reuters.com]
HIKER AIRLIFTED TO HOSPITAL AFTER BISON ATTACK AT UTAH PARK, WAS REPORTEDLY TRYING TO WARN FRIEND
A 22-year-old woman had to be airlifted to a hospital on Friday after she was charged by bison at a state park in Utah and sustained multiple injuries to her legs, according to officials. The incident happened at Antelope Island State Park around 7:30 p.m., located northwest of Salt Lake City. Utah State Parks Lt. Eric Stucki said the woman sustained a broken leg and laceration to her other leg, possibly due to being gored, after she was charged and thrown into the air by the animal. The woman, who has not been identified, was on a trail and heading toward a companion when the incident took place. Stucki told KSL-TV the woman was hiking when she spotted the bison about 50 yards away and tried to warn her friend about the animal because she knew her companion was uncomfortable around them. The bison, however, charged the woman and threw her into the air. The animal then nudged the woman with its nose as she remained still on the ground before moving off, according to Stucki.
[SOURCE: foxnews.com]
TESLA AND CEO ELON MUSK VIOLATED FEDERAL LABOR LAW, JUDGE RULES
A judge ruled Friday that Tesla and its chief executive, Elon Musk, broke federal labor law by targeting union activity, the latest in a series of stinging rebukes to the electronic vehicle company. The violations included a 2018 tweet from Musk’s personal account that said nothing was stopping employees from voting, “But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing? Our safety record is 2X better than when plant was UAW & everybody already gets healthcare.” Tesla also introduced rules requiring permission for the distribution of union pamphlets and other materials in addition to threatening the loss of stock options if unionization occurred. The company also told employees that it would be “futile” to unionize because they would lack a voice, according to the ruling.
[SOURCE: washingtonpost.com]
RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION BILL MAY BREACH CONSTITUTION BY ALLOWING DOCTORS TO REFUSE TREATMENT
Key provisions of the religious discrimination bill may be unconstitutional because they allow medical practitioners to refuse treatment, and privilege statements of religious belief, an academic has warned. Luke Beck, a constitutional and religious freedom expert at Monash University, warned the Coalition’s exposure draft bill may be incompatible with international law and therefore not supported by the external affairs power in the constitution. The submission echoes concerns from the Australian Human Rights Commission and Public Interest Advocacy Centre that the bill will licence discriminatory statements about race, sexual orientation and disability on the grounds of religion, and that it privileges religion over other rights. The bill has been criticised for overriding state and federal discrimination law, including section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits speech that offends, insults or humiliates people based on race.
[SOURCE: THEGUARDIAN.COM]
PETE DAVIDSON IS A NO-SHOW FOR “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE” PREMIERE
Pete Davidson stayed out of the spotlight during the season 45 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Saturday, September 28. Davidson did not appear in the first episode of the new season, despite keeping his spot in the cast and the opening credits. He was not on the stage with his costars for the closing either.
[SOURCE: usmagazine.com]
‘CLUELESS’ STAR STACEY DASH ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Law enforcement sources tell us the “Clueless” actor was busted Sunday in Pasco County — where she owns a home — after getting into a squabble with her new husband, Jeffrey Marty, and allegedly putting hands on him. We’re told cops were called to a home around 7:45 PM to respond to a domestic dispute between Stacey and Jeff. Our sources say Stacey allegedly pushed and slapped him and that’s when officers arrived … they saw scratches on his left arm. Stacey was taken into custody, where she’s currently being held on $500 bail. We’re also told in these types of incidents, the local authorities often hold people for a 24-hour cooling-off period. The couple just got hitched last spring in a secret wedding ceremony down in the Sunshine State. Not much is known about her hubby of 1 year, other than the fact that he’s a lawyer. It’s Stacey’s fourth marriage.
[SOURCE: tmz.com]
Eight Things To Talk About uses the raw engagement data from the social media engagement from The Conversation Project to generate the top-ranking headlines over the course of a weekend.
A full weeks’ data (from Friday to Friday) is compiled, weighed, and sorted to produce the content for the Wrap-Up Show with J Cleveland Payne, published every Saturday as a podcast available at ThisIsTheConversation.com or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.
To ‘participate’ in the rankings of the headlines for this newsletter or the podcast, follow the Conversation Project on social media and engage with the posts to give them more ‘votes.’ The Conversation Project can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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